


Hell Behind Us

by whitesilence



Series: Tales from the Wasteland [1]
Category: Captain America (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Zombie Apocalypse, F/M, Gen
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-12-20
Updated: 2015-12-20
Packaged: 2018-05-08 00:20:00
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 869
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5476010
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/whitesilence/pseuds/whitesilence
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>One shots and missing scenes from "And Wasteland All Around Us".</p>
            </blockquote>





	Hell Behind Us

**Author's Note:**

  * For [herestolookingatyou](https://archiveofourown.org/users/herestolookingatyou/gifts).



> herestolookingatyou asked what Steve and Bucky were talking about when they said good bye in chapter five. I was originally just going to do a couple lines in reply to the comment but apparently they both had some things to get off their chests. I decided to break it out into it's own post because I also intend to write out the story of how Bucky and Darcy met at some point. 
> 
> And maybe how they found out that Jane should never be allowed to handle firearms.
> 
> Anyway, enjoy this while I go back to work on chapter six of the main story.

James had been a soldier for too long to be able to sleep when he'd was supposed to be on watch and he'd been taking the evening shift while Darcy caught a few hours of sleep for nearly as long as he had been in Puente Antiguo. So after just half an hour of tossing and turning, he went up to sit on the dealership's roof. He was staring listlessly up at the night sky when Steve found him.

They sat together for a while, neither moving to acknowledge the other. Given the turmoil he usually felt when the subject of his oldest friend came up, he was surprised to find that Steve’s solid presence at his side had more of a calming influence than he would have expected. Add that to the pile of things he was conflicted about. 

The silence stretched on. He didn't know what Steve was thinking about but for his part, James was still struggling with the fact that Steve hadn’t stopped looking for him after the fight in D.C. Hadn’t given up when he had run and effectively turned himself into a ghost once more. Anyone else would have taken one look at the things James had done and given him up for a lost cause.

"You know I always looked up to you?" James asked, suddenly. Steve's head jerked over to look at him. "Even when I was pulling your skinny ass outta the fire, I always wished I could be as brave as you, jumping in when no one would've thought less of you if you didn't. The war didn't change that any."

"No, Buck, I didn't know that."

"You were always the one who did the right thing, even when you didn’t have to. I was scared shitless when I joined the Army but I didn't want to let you down, didn't want you to think I was like the bullies you hated so much."

"I could never think that of you, Bucky." Steve protested.

"Darcy said everything Hydra had was on the Net and I don't know how much of it you saw before it went down. But if someone had told you back then, about all the things I did for Hydra, you wouldn't have given me the time of day. You always hated bullies and that's exactly what I was. I can't believe you'd want anything to do with me now." 

Steve was silent for a moment. James stared straight ahead, not wanting to see his friend's disappointment. 

"Everyone always remembers that bit." Steve finally sighed, unhappily. "About me hating bullies. And it's true, all the things Hydra made you do, I hate that. But I'm more disappointed you don't remember how quick I was to forgive someone when they said they were sorry. Or when they didn’t have any choices."

"I always had a choice.” He said, sadly. “Things like that can’t be fixed with just a ‘Sorry, pops’. Don't think I have the right to say sorry anymore. Think I gave that up the first time they put a gun in my hand and I pulled the trigger." 

"The last few years have really changed a lot of the things I thought I believed in but forgiveness isn't one of them." Steve said with a sad half smile. 

"I don't think I'm ready to ask then."

Steve carefully slung an arm around James's shoulders, giving him time to move away. But James surprised himself by leaning into the comfort his friend was offering. "Well, whenever you decide you're ready, Bucky, I'll be waiting."

He smiled wanly. "Thanks, but you might be waiting for a good long while."

Steve's return smile was just as crooked and more than a little self-deprecating. "Well, it's a good thing I've got a lot of practice with the waiting game then, isn't it? What's a little more?"

It took James a moment to process what Steve had said and realize what he wasn't saying. "Peggy?"

The other man's head dipped. "Yeah."

"I'm sorry, Steve."

"Can't stop time." The other man shrugged with more nonchalance than James thought he actually felt. They were silent for another few moments before Steve asked, "Now, how about that Darcy, hey? She seems like a real moll."

James looked up sharply to see that Steve's smile had turned teasing. "She's... well. She doesn't judge, doesn't push. Darcy's just... Darcy."

"She seems like she's good for you. I’ll look out for her until you come back." Steve said, earnestly. "I'm glad you found her."

"Me too." James laughed darkly. “But I don’t think you need to look out for her. She takes care of herself and everyone else just fine. Darcy's got some moxie alright.”

~*~

The next morning, when he and Steve said their good-byes next to the Pinzgauer, Bucky felt lighter than he had in a long time. Like something had settled after their conversation on the roof.

"Don't do anything stupid, you jerk." Steve said as he pulled James into a hug.

"How can I?" James replied, reminded of the last time they had separated. This time, he was determined things would turn out better. “You're taking all the stupid with you, punk.”


End file.
